I started going to Indy with dad (now alive and well at almost 90!) in about 1958, maybe earlier. We would go for qualifications at first: races were sold out for years in advance. Finally made it to a race in the late 50's.

One car had a "lite" incounter with the wall on the straight where we were sitting, and shattered a piece of the fiberglass nose (the old front engined roadsters) One of the crew clealed the track and was throwing the fiberglass oieces off the track. One piece went under a "pit board" (look it up youngsters). I asked dad if I could go get a pice of the discarded body work, and he said "we might want to wait til after the race" hey, I was a kid, those 200mph cars going by did not scare me!

I obsessed over the body work piece, hoping no one would get it.

After the race, they open the gates to the track, and I ran over and looked under the pit board: THERE WAS THE PIECE! Typical 50's metalic blue on the outside, orange gelcoat on the inside. Boy was I excited. Mr Kramer, by 7th grade teacher, and bus driver and later assistant principal, ased me to share my story and show everyone the body piece in class: Life was good.

Some indy notes: Track 2.5 miles around, IF you get a corner seat, you can see them come down the straight (about 1 mile long) and follow them through the corner and the :short shoot: straigt in the curve, with binocs.
we learned that watching on TV was better! See below

Could take you 2 plus hours after arriving to get into the track, then leave it, for a 90 minute ride back home to Cincinnati. But after tghe race they sold stuff, and that made the time pass quicker: still have my 1950's flag: cost 50 cents!

No one ran green cars-bad luck-until the rear engined lotus cars arrived, and worn! I don't think you will see green cars there to this day

Women were not allowed in the pits or in gasoline Alley until fairly recently

Yellow lights were used to pac the spacing of the cars unter the yellow flag-cars had to maintain the same distance during the yellow as they did during the race befor the yellow came out: no closing the gap under the yellow on the car in front of you = boring!

Early one cars had riding mechanics: cars were running in the 80-100mph range almost from the start. When the cars came in for a pit stop, and slowed to 35 mph or so, the mechans would sometimes get off, believing the car had slowed almost to a stop!!!

Turn One infield was called the snakepit-lots of partying there_________________"kart racing since 1958, was and still the best bank for the buck in motorsports"

Last edited by DrChip on Fri Jul 01, 2011 1:16 pm; edited 1 time in total

I like you dr.c have history with the track...my dad shot the bomb to open the gates on race day for many years. he also shot bombs in the turns. If some of you dont know what i am talking about. At 6am on race day they would always shoot a bomb (firework) off to open the gates and let people start to enter the infield to get parking spots to watch the race. Than when the cars go around the track on the first lap as they went through the corners there would be a set of salutes go off as they passed through to signify that they had all made it through. So as the first lap passed you would see and hear fireworks in each turn all the way around the speedway. On quite a few occasions in my youth dad would hide me in the camper with the fireworks and get me in to watch the race. The last year that he shot them he let me light them in turn one. I have been to this race over 20 times and it never ceases to make the hair stand up on my arms..

I like you dr.c have history with the track...my dad shot the bomb to open the gates on race day for many years. he also shot bombs in the turns. If some of you dont know what i am talking about. At 6am on race day they would always shoot a bomb (firework) off to open the gates and let people start to enter the infield to get parking spots to watch the race. Than when the cars go around the track on the first lap as they went through the corners there would be a set of salutes go off as they passed through to signify that they had all made it through. So as the first lap passed you would see and hear fireworks in each turn all the way around the speedway. On quite a few occasions in my youth dad would hide me in the camper with the fireworks and get me in to watch the race. The last year that he shot them he let me light them in turn one. I have been to this race over 20 times and it never ceases to make the hair stand up on my arms..

Just the thought of hearing "Gentleman (and ladies!), start your engines" still sends a thrill through my body. It is "The greatest Spectical (sp?) in Racing" The colors, often the crisp cool Indiana morning air, blue skies. WOW!

After going to my first race, I decided I would do a pit stop with my gokart (Jeep seat, bed rail frame, Briggs 13/4hp engine) so I would race around my back yard in an oval (couterclockwise like Indy) and after many laps, I'd "pull in" for my "pit stop", jump out of my kart and pull the spring loaded cap to the side to check my oil.

I did not know what "splash" system of oiling was, or any system of oiling for that matter.

I left my engine running, and when I opened the cap, oil came out like a little oil well gusher.

After that, I would stop my engine for my stopps, check the oil, the restart the engine!

What memories.

Indy should be on everyones bucket list!

Amax: I forgot "the bombs" Thanks for that memory. It now goes in with the rest.

Final memory: The track would allow people to put up scaffolds in the infiels, including the infamoust turn one "Snakepit". Every form of scaffold was put up, including just plain old pite painting scaffolds with boards. THEN the scaffold builder CHARGE people to sit in his "scaffold grandstands". Some of these were 8 levels high tio my memory!

That is american capitalism at its best Gotta love it!

Indy outlawed them after a big one fell down! c_________________"kart racing since 1958, was and still the best bank for the buck in motorsports"

I have always wanted to go to the Indy 500 but never have until the last 2 years. It is a great event and I really enjoy going. Finally got to go to the museum this year on Saturday before the race.

Since it was the 100th Centennial Anniversary they let the fans in free on Saturday and you could go almost anywhere on the grounds. I even got to walk in the garage area and the only driver I saw was Dan Weldon. He was talking to friends at his garage. I got a picture of him but didn't get to talk as he went back into garage.

Dr. Chip, there was a green car in 2010 and I think there was one this year. The 2010 car was a Lotus which is always green.

I have a picture of it and would insert it here but don't know how._________________Kerry Wilson
Former Senior 4 Cycle Director
One of GSKA's Founders

Cummings Diesel had a diesel powered car, and the infamoust STP Turbine car that ran 197 laps (492.5 of 500 miles) and dominated the race until an inexpensive part failed. The turbine was so fast that turbines were made illegal after their first run.

Rear engine FORD "Indy" V8s" finnally unseated the Offys long hold. The 2.5 mile Indy track was broken up in segments and the fastest Offys were timed in each one of the sections. Ford engineers were told to beat the Offys in spped, power and mileage in each of these segments with the new Ford engine. The engineers did it!

And Micky Rupp of Rupp Go Kart fame ran indy and finished 4th in his first and only race-pretty impressive. c_________________"kart racing since 1958, was and still the best bank for the buck in motorsports"